Amy Ballard

Amy Ballard, YFU USA Vice President of the Exchange Experience and Chief Compliance Officer oversees YFU’s Education & Training, Support Services, and Quality Assurance departments. She has served YFU in progressively responsible capacities to develop programs, secure grants, and maintain the highest standards of safety and compliance for YFU.

Vice President of the Exchange Experience and Chief Compliance Officer (CCO)

With more than 20 years managing professional, college, and youth exchanges in the international education industry, Ballard oversees YFU’s Education & Training, Support Services, and Quality Assurance departments. She has served YFU in progressively responsible capacities to develop programs, secure grants, and maintain the highest standards of safety and compliance for YFU. She plays an essential role in the procurement and retention of mission-critical CYBX, FLEX, and YES grants and has functioned as the organizational liaison among grant students, political entities, embassies, industry colleagues, oversight agencies and the US Department of State. Ballard served as a YFU volunteer for several years before joining the staff.

Ballard holds a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Master’s of International Administration from the School for International Training. Growing up with exchange students and international visitors hosted by her family inspired Ballard’s commitment to cross-cultural understanding through exchange. She undertook her own transformative journeys on a high school exchange to Denmark and a university study abroad to France. This motivated her to be a parent on both sides of the equation; she has hosted eight students from seven countries and sent her three children on high school, gap year, and university study abroad programs. Through these experiences she is committed to quality exchange programs as an agent of positive growth and change for participants and communities.